itorials Editorials and Letters to the Editor are posted and archived on JN Online: www.detroitjewishnews.com Meeting Broader Objectives S hmoozing is a popular component of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's annual meeting. Reports by the president and chief executive offi- cer, and honoring the Butzel Award winner, provide the main reasons for being there, but talking communal shop with other community leaders is a draw, too. Next Tuesday night's forum will offer the added lures of being held in Yeshivat Akiva's bright new schoolhouse and the opportunity to hear guest speaker Dr. Ron Wolfson, a dynamic national authority on Jewish education. Notably, the evening will mark the first combined annual meeting of Federation and its real estate/banking arm, the United Jewish Foundation. But amid the well wishes, handshakes and deserving honors, we urge Federation, the Detroit Jewish community's emissary, to weave into the program its blueprint for action this new year of 5760. That would be a significant stride toward the annual get-togethers becom- ing better attended by Jews who aren't neces- sarily activists. Specifically, we should strive to broaden the appeal of the meetings beyond the inner circle of activists who typically attend. Within that backdrop, we applaud Federa- tion for the fine tribute it historically gives the Butzel honoree. This year's choice, David Page, is of the caliber of past awardees with his Jew- ish leadership, devotion to the Jewish people and service to the general community. He rich- ly represents the ideals of the late Fred M. Butzel, a humanitarian whose legacy is ingrained in the texture of our community. The action blueprint we envision might include: IN FOCUS • Significant changes planned for Federa- tion's Annual Campaign (formerly the Allied Jewish Campaign), including this year's fund- raising goal and local-versus-overseas allocation projections. • Concrete ideas for using the $25 million Jewish Life Fund, half of the $50 million Mil- lennium Campaign for Detroit's Jewish Future. Much has been said about how day and sup- plemental schools and teen trips to Israel will benefit, but what's in store for other Jewish life experiences, such as cultural events, holiday celebrations, college programs and informal learning opportunities? • An insightful update of how the city of Southfield, our all-important bridge between the Jewish community campuses in Oak Park and West Bloomfield, is faring in terms of Jew- ish population, culture and resources. • A meaningful.glimpse at how our commu- nity might interact with United Jewish Com- munities, the New York City-based successor to the United Jewish Appeal, United Israel Appeal and Council of Jewish Federations, especially since Detroit's Joel.Tauber heads its executive committee. Possibilities for the action blueprint abound. Clearly, there's value to Federation's annual meeting, to the Detroit Jewish community knowing that at least once a year there's a chance to conduct business and present acco- lades. But the dividends can be greater for more of us by not only carrying on the wonderful tra- dition of hailing our newest Butzel winner at the meeting, but also breaking some important new ground for the Jewish community at large. II Left, enjoying a sukka made by fam- ily and friends are: standing, Dr. Marvin Trimas, Jay Korelitz, Kurt Trimas, Marsha Trimas; seated, Mara and Lucie Rosenthal and Paula Korelitz The Rosenthals, Congregation Shaarey Zedek mem- bers, are daughter and 17-month- old granddaughter to the Korelitzes. At right, Dr. Trimas, an Adat Shalom Synagogue shofarist, blows the shofar in the Korelitz sukka. Sign Of The Season The 10x10-foot sukka that stands in the Farmington Hills yard of Jay Korelitz, a Temple Israel member, "is halachically correct, with vines and evergreens and no nails or plastic," he said. "It's a lot of fun and, most of all, it's a mitzvah." The hut, sporting gourds and pumpkins from the Korelitz family garden, is used for meals, Torah study, and even sleep if the weather's right. Extra greens are at hand so visitors can stick them into the walls, say the Shehechiyanu, and be a part of the sukka's construction — "a nice, warm touch," Korelitz said. Combating Online Hate T wenty years ago, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other assorted bigots were limited in their audiences. Their propaganda was crude, and they had almost no access to mass media. Not so today. On the World Wide Web, the vilest hate group can put up a slick, attractive homepage that looks every bit as good as the best corporate and media sites. The pathetic practi- tioners of organized hate, once isolat- ed, now link up through the miracle of electronic mail, building globe- spanning networks that allow them to transcend their tiny presence in any particular geographical area. For example, children searching the Web for research materials on Martin Luther King Jr. are likely to be direct- ed to a professional-looking site run by a notorious anti-Semitic, anti-black hate group, as a Simon Wiesenthal Center official described to Congress last week. And, of course, any high school kid with access to a chemistry lab can build bombs designed to kill and maim with step-by-step instruc- tions from other sites. But censorship is an odious response, one that corrodes the demo- cratic principles that have been so good to Jews and other minorities. Yet, to avoid that deadly medicine, the Internet industry must get serious about policing itself. This is a com- mercial medium, as Wiesenthal Cen- ter officials pointed out. So why shouldn't it be expected to use the same kind of discretion that newspa- pers use when selling advertising? No , Internet providers must monitor their content the way a newspaper does. mass circulation newspaper would sell a half-page ad to the Aryan Nation to attack non-whites and Jews. Why should Web providers ignore such communications industry precedence? We don't want to see heavy-handed government controls. We do want broad support to enable law enforcement agencies to increase surveillance of hate sites and the groups behind them. When links to criminal activity are found, prosecution must be vigorous. And most of all, parents must be much more aware of what their chil- dren are looking at. Some will find the Anti-Defamation League HateFilter Software package helpful, but even that is no substitute for close parental super- vision. Private groups that patrol the Web should be encouraged to expand their efforts. The Wiesenthal Center, the Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Poverty Law Center and oth- ers are our first line of defense. We applaud their efforts to expose the haters even while trying to avert a dra- conian government response that would reward the bigots by undermin- ing something the extremists despise: American democracy. 1-1 9/24 1999 Detroit Jewish News 7